Recently there has been great interest in providing data storage devices using which a user is able to transfer data between components of a computer system, or between computer systems.
For example, one of the present inventors has proposed in PCT application PCT/SG01/00136, published as WO 03/003141, entitled “Method and devices for data transfer” (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) a data storage device for use in a computer system including a computer device and one or more other external electronic devices. The external electronic devices may be “slave devices”, and examples of such slave devices include a camera, a video camera, an organiser, an MP3 player, or a PDA (personal assistant); and may be wireless routers or wireless gateways. The data storage device includes a wireless transceiver (transducer) for receiving data (which the data storage device stores), and for transmitting data stored within it. The computer device, and each of the other electronic devices, includes a respective wireless transducer. Thus, the data storage device can be used for transferring data between the computer device and the various external devices. Since the storage device is substantially devoted to storage of data, it can accommodate a memory which is larger than in most other portable electronic items. Furthermore, since the data transfer is wireless, physical connectors (such as cables, sockets and plugs) are not required, so data can be transferred within the computer system despite the very large number of existing standards for physical connectors.